Oxford vs Cambridge: Which University City Day Trip Is Better?

I Have Done Both Oxford and Cambridge as Day Trips, Here Is the Real Difference

Oxford and Cambridge are 106km apart and about 800 years old each. They are the two oldest universities in the English-speaking world. They have produced 121 Nobel laureates between them. They are also the two most common day trips from London after Stonehenge and Bath.

I have taken the train to Oxford from Paddington on a Tuesday in February and walked through the Bodleian Library with three other people. I have taken the train to Cambridge from King's Cross on a Saturday in June and queued 25 minutes for a punt on the Cam. The experiences could not be more different. Here is the honest comparison.

Oxford, The Bigger, Busier University City

Oxford is a city of 150,000 people with 38 colleges spread across the centre. It is not a university town, it is a city with a university woven through it. The train from London Paddington takes 55 minutes. From Marylebone it takes 80 minutes, take Paddington. An off-peak return costs about £30.

The Bodleian Library holds 13 million items across 40 buildings. The Radcliffe Camera is the building you have seen in every Oxford photo, a circular domed reading room built in 1749. You cannot enter unless you are on a guided tour, which costs £9 and runs several times daily. Book ahead on weekends.

Christ Church College is the most visited, its dining hall was used as Hogwarts' Great Hall in the Harry Potter films. Entry costs £18 and the queue forms by 10am in summer. I went in February and walked straight in. The cathedral inside Christ Church is the smallest in England and also the only college chapel that is also a cathedral. The stained glass in the Latin Chapel shows the murder of Thomas Becket in four panels. It was installed in the 1320s.

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Cambridge, The Prettier, More Compact Rival

Cambridge feels smaller than Oxford even though the university is only 60 years younger. The city centre is compact, you can walk from the station to King's College in 20 minutes, then from King's to the Fitzwilliam Museum in 10. The train from King's Cross takes 48 minutes on the fast service. A return costs about £25 off-peak.

King's College Chapel is the essential stop. The fan-vaulted ceiling is the largest in the world. The stained glass windows are original 16th-century work, 26 windows depicting biblical scenes in sequence. Entry costs £15. The chapel is closed during exams (late May to mid-June) and for carol services in December, check the college website before you go.

Punting on the River Cam is the Cambridge experience. A shared punt with a guide costs about £20 per person for 45 minutes. The route takes you along the Backs, the rear gardens of the colleges that face the river. You see King's College, Clare College, Trinity Hall, and St John's from the water. The guides are usually students who know the history and the gossip. I did this on a July afternoon and the guide pointed out the window where Isaac Newton lived at Trinity. The punt ahead of us hit the bank and three people fell in, the guide said it happens three times a day in summer.

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Comparison Table: Oxford vs Cambridge at a Glance

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose Oxford if: you want more variety, the Bodleian Library is a working research library with rooms dating to 1602. The Ashmolean Museum is free and has an Egyptian collection that includes a shrine of Taharqa from 680 BCE. The Covered Market has been trading since 1774 and has a pie shop that has been there since 1853. Oxford also has better food, the Jericho neighbourhood and Cowley Road have restaurants that serve more than just pub food.

Choose Cambridge if: you want the postcard experience, King's College Chapel from the Backs is one of the most photographed views in England. Punting is genuinely enjoyable, not just a tourist trap. The Fitzwilliam Museum has Impressionist paintings that rival galleries in Paris and it is free. Cambridge is also slightly cheaper and slightly faster to reach from London.

If you have two days: do both. They are different enough. Oxford on a weekday when the libraries are open, Cambridge on a Saturday when the punt guides are at their most theatrical.

For more London day trip comparisons, see my full guide to choosing the right London day trip. And if you want specifics: Oxford day trip guide and Cambridge day trip guide.